SPEAK+ Week Five

Welcome to Week Five of SPEAK+.
Let’s master a story.

As a professional speaker I am actually a professional STORY TELLER. Stories are like magical spells that turn information into unforgettable adventures. They captivate hearts, paint vivid pictures, and sneak life lessons into our brains when we least expect it.

Since the dawn of humanity, storytelling has been the OG communication app, connecting people across time and space. Picture this: our ancestors huddled around the flickering flames, passing down tales of triumphs, mishaps, and epic adventures. Long before smartphones and memes, stories were the original Wi-Fi, bridging gaps, creating bonds, and transmitting the wisdom of generations.

Your ultimate, most impactful content, is not data, tips or tools….it is your STORIES. Totally unique to YOU. I know you have hundreds of stories inside of you that are asking to be shared.

This week you will focus on a personal story that speaks to you….one you intuitively know will also speak to others. It’s usually a moment in your life that taught you something profound or life changing. Got one in mind?

Let’s get your storytelling on!

Can you believe we are in Week 5 already? Almost half way!

Don’t worry we have lots of time left to create big momentum in your speaking and though leadership journey. Keep putting the time and energy into all this creating and you will be set up for success as you graduate in a few months. #yesyoucan

Trust the process; every step is a piece of the puzzle falling into place.

So far you have defined your expertise, developed your Traction Title/Impact Statement, written your short and long form bio’s, created your Signature Talk Outline (title/results and short overview). It’s time to learn the process of designing and delivering a story.

Your stories will be, in a few short weeks, the roadmap that guides your entire Signature Talk. You will NOT memorize your speech but you will intimately KNOW your story flow. Exciting right?

Here are four important points when considering which story to focus on:

1. Know Your Crowd: Figure out who you're talking to. What tickles their fancy? What gets them nodding? Make your story something they'll vibe with.

2. Have a Point: Don't just ramble. Know WHY you're telling the story. What's the message you want folks to chew on afterward? Keep it clear and straightforward.

3. Tell it Like a Story: Start somewhere, hit the juicy middle, and wrap it up neatly. Nobody likes a saga without an end. Make it flow with meaning and intention.

4. Bring the Feels: Make people laugh, cry, or gasp. Toss in some realness. People connect with the feelings. The more genuine and relatable, the better. Your story should hit people in the heart, not just float around in their heads.

You probably have a story in mind now—a moment in time that changed you on some level and in some way. With that story you learned a lesson. What was it? Write that lesson out and when you are done…find a way to say the lesson in 12-15 words or less.

This short description of your lesson learned, in its succinct form, becomes a POWER STATEMENT. Your Power Statements will become the moments on stage when you plant your feet, look deep into the audience and share your TRUTH with courage, confidence and absolute conviction.

Here is an example of one of my Power Statements:
It can AFFECT me but I will not let it INFECT me.

Once you have your Power Statement defined you can write your story. There is a formula in storytelling I am excited to share with you. Ready? Of course you are! :)

STORY TELLING FORMULA

1. Be Interesting: Start with a hook that grabs your audience's attention. This could be a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a compelling anecdote. Get them curious from the get-go. Plus it’s fun.

2. Relate. Relate. Relate!: Connect your story to the experiences or emotions of your audience. Make it relatable by incorporating elements they can identify with. This creates a stronger bond between you and your listeners.

3. Share the Struggle: Introduce a challenge or conflict in your story. This could be a personal struggle, a societal issue, or a common obstacle. The conflict adds tension and keeps your audience engaged as they want to see how it gets resolved. They see themselves in the struggle!

4. Resolve with your Power Statement: Conclude your story by offering a resolution or a key takeaway—YOUR POWER STATEMENT! What did you learn? What message do you want to leave your audience with? Prompt them to reflect on the story and consider its relevance to their own lives. Help them feel empowered that they too can stand strong in the lesson learned and challenges overcome.

A few more tips—> organize your story with a beginning, middle, and end. Ensure a smooth flow, avoiding unnecessary details that might distract. Less is more! ALWAYS.

It’s time for YOU to design and deliver your story. YOU CAN DO THIS. Aim for 5-10 minutes to start. Write it out to start (or use bullet points) but practice with only sticky notes on the mirror.

DO NOT MEMORIZE YOUR STORY.

Will it be perfect and smooth and AMAZING the first time you share this live? No. Well maybe :) But truly the GOLD is in the live practice. Soooooo I have a real exciting action step challenge for you this week.

You can do hard things. xo And you know what? Most likely this won’t be as hard as you think. You have been called, after all, to DO THIS WORK.

Your Action Steps for this week…

• Develop a story using the formula above. Share a recorded version of it in the SPEAK+ Private Facebook Group . When we share we inspire each other.

• For 1on1 clients please refer to your google doc for additional action steps and customized feedback.